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Good evening.

The Lead

After the leaders’ debate last night, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer remained in the Toronto area, where he announced Friday that a Conservative government would introduce a new 15 per cent tax credit for monthly and regular public transit users — a Harper-era deduction axed by the Liberals in 2017.

He proposed a green public transit tax credit during a media event at a GO Transit bus garage in Mississauga, saying the deduction would save a family of four that regularly uses Toronto transit services around $1,000 a year, Marco Vigliotti reports.

The Conservatives pegged the cost of reviving the public transit tax credit at $57 million in 2019-20 before it ramps up to $306 million in 2028-29.

The party says eligible expenses would include monthly transit passes, weekly passes and electronic fare cards if they’re used for an “extended period.” Taxpayers would be able to claim credit for their own costs as well as those of their spouses and children below the age of 19.

In Canada

A so-called “secret” Liberal plan to hike taxes on home sales “just isn’t true,” said Liberal candidate Adam Vaughan, who was the target of a Conservative attack on Twitter this week.

The Conservatives alleged in a tweet on Thursday that Trudeau and Vaughan “have a secret plan” to tax home sales by 50 per cent.

Meanwhile NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, also in Toronto, said he hopes to cut costs for Canadians by reiterating his party’s pledge to put a cap on cellphone and internet costs across Canada, and to create “true” unlimited data plans, Victoria Gibson wrote.

After skipping the leader’s debate yesterday, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau arrived in Trois-Rivieres where he pledged to eliminate the “swipe fee” on sales taxes for credit transactions at an event Friday morning. The initiative is aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Jolson Lim reports.

A Mainstreet Research poll for iPolitics shows a Liberal incumbent in a Quebec City riding much ahead of the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois. Joël Lightbound is poised to reclaim his seat. Meanwhile, a second Mainstreet poll shows NDP incumbent Pierre-Luc Dusseault is set to lose his seat, with the Liberals surging ahead of other parties.

Rachel Emmanuel has stories (premium election subscribers only) on what the polls exactly show in Louis-Hébert and Sherbrooke.

Also, if you’re hoping for an update on party candidates, Jolson Lim looked into whether any parties have the 338 candidates needed to reach a full slate. (Spoiler: none do).

It’s day three of the election campaign and it’s become evident that candidates social media accounts will be thoroughly scrutinized. The Canadian Press reports that unearthed social media comments have led to the resignation of several candidates and apologies from others.

The issue of national security briefly distracted from the election campaign today after a senior member working with an RCMP intelligence team has been charged under the Security of Information Act — an event that is expected to have a ripple effect across Canada’s intelligence sector. Cameron Ortis faces three charges under the rarely used law which deal with communicating or confirming special operational information.

The Associated Press reports that a Taliban delegation has arrived in Russia, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump declared dead a deal with the insurgent group in Afghanistan. The delegation had held consultations with Russia’s envoy for Afghanistan. Moscow has been accused of aiding the Taliban as a safeguard against a burgeoning Islamic State affiliate in the north of the war-battered country.

The New York Times reports that at last night’s Democratic primary debate, candidate Joe Biden fought back attacks from an array of progressive challengers, led by Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Former Vice-President Biden is the current frontrunner, and during the debate, repeatedly mentioned President Barack Obama’s name and policy record.

AP reports that China will lift punitive tariffs imposed on U.S. soybeans and pork in a trade war with Washington, adding to conciliatory gestures by the two sides ahead of negotiations. The move follows Trump’s decision to postpone a planned tariff hike on Chinese imports to Oct. 15. Negotiations on a trade deal are set to begin again early next month.

Lastly, Agence Presse-France reports a tropical storm warning was issued on Friday for the northern Bahamas, where thousands of residents are struggling to get back on track after Hurricane Dorian left them homeless. A spokesperson for the country’s emergency management agency said the storm could have an impact on relief and recovery efforts.